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Netflix Has Reached 3 Million U.K. Subscribers, Analyst Estimates

In Aug. 2012, the streaming video service had crossed the 1 million mark, but it hasn't commented on its progress since

Netflix has crossed the 3 million subscriber mark in Britain, according to estimates from research firm Enders Analysis based on recent data from TV ratings firm BARB.

Netflix in Aug. 2012 said it had crossed the 1 million subscriber milestone in the U.K. and Ireland within seven months of its launch.

Since then, the company hasn't disclosed or commented on its U.K. subscriber figures. Enders last August estimated that Netflix had reached 1.5 million to 2 million subscribers.

In a recent survey of 13,500 British households, BARB estimated that Netflix crossed the 2.8 million U.K. subscriber mark in the first quarter.

"In light of the 1.1 million net additions in international streaming paid-for subscriptions that Netflix reported in its second-quarter results release, it must by now be past the 3 million mark in the U.K.," Enders analyst Toby Syfret said in his report.

A Netflix spokesman declined to comment on the latest U.K. subscriber estimate in line with the company's policy since the 1 million subscriber milestone.

BARB estimated that fellow online streaming service Amazon Prime Instant Video had about 1.2 million subscribers as of the first quarter. In comparison, U.K. pay TV giant BSkyB, in which Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox owns a 39 percent stake, has more than 10 million TV subscribers.

BARB argues that Netflix's success in Britain has been largely due to exclusive content for U.K. audiences, such as Breaking Bad, and originals, such as Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards.

Netflix is scheduled to launch in France, Germany and four other European markets next month. Syfret concluded that the U.K. subscriber trends "should cheer management as Netflix enters the Francophone and Germanophone countries in September."